Sweet Nothings
by WhisperElmwood
Summary: Part of the 'Divide' universe, set five years after they graduate from Hogwarts. A short ficlet about how Harry and Draco now live, and a return to Hogwarts.


All recognisable characters are © J.K. Rowling, I'm only borrowing them.  
  
This is only a ficlet, and may not ever be continued - if enough people badger me about it though, I may think about it. Enjoy ^^  
  
* * * *  
  
Harry slowly wound his hand round the other mans' hip, wishing they were alone, wishing that, at the very least, the bloody transport would move faster. He couldn't remember, now, why they had decided to take the damn underground, but he supposed he ought to put up with it; at least they would be home soon enough.  
  
He felt Draco stir against his hand. They were standing in the middle of the train, trying to stay upright with the movement while simultaneously attempting not to bounce off the large crowd of muggles around them.  
  
Harry was standing behind Draco, one hand gripping the support above their heads; the other comfortably nestled on the blondes' hip, breathing in the scent of his slightly shorter partner, his chest pressed against prominent shoulder blades.  
  
Draco turned his head slightly, a small grin playing on his lips, "Down boy," he muttered, just loudly enough for Harry, and Harry alone, to hear him. Harry grinned in turn and leaned down slightly, muttering into the other mans' ear something that made Draco wish fervently that they were home and not trapped on the underground with a load of muggles.  
  
* * * *  
  
Harry threw the door to their small home open and stalked into the kitchen, dropping his bags on the floor and flopping into one of the chairs.  
  
"That was a much longer trip than I had expected," he mumbled through the fabric of his sleeves. He had his head cradled in his arms, resting on the table top. "I have absolutely no idea how they put up with kids like that."  
  
Draco dropped his own bags on the floor, smiling at the raven haired man as he complained, "I'm sure you love them really."  
  
They had just returned from two weeks at Ron and Hermione Weasley's up in the midlands, after just five years of marriage, they had two children, both as red haired as their father, and as boisterous as their twin uncles Fred and George had very probably been at their age.  
  
Harry looked up, "Yeah, but they're gonna turn out just like Fred and George, and I'm making a mental note to pity the Headmaster when they're old enough to go to Hogwarts."  
  
Draco stooped and wrapped his arms round Harry's chest, "Oh stop complaining. You know as well as I that you enjoyed every minute of that holiday. Now come on, it's getting late." He briefly kissed the top of Harry's head, then stood upright, removed his coat and grabbed his bags.  
  
With a sigh Harry complied, removing his own coat and grabbing his discarded bags.  
  
They spent as much time as was humanly possible after such a long trip, sorting through their luggage and generally trying to tidy up. But after a couple of hours or so, they gave up and just flopped together on the sofa in front of the fire, comfortably snuggling down into the over soft chair, arms wrapped lazily about each other.  
  
After a while Harry climbed laboriously to his feet in search of coffee, leaving Draco to turn the TV on. (He'd insisted when they first bought the house, as he'd grown up with one and liked to know what was going on in the muggle world as well as the wizarding. At first Draco had been rather stubborn about the whole thing, but after witnessing what a television could actually do, he'd taken to it with a smile.)  
  
He came back into the lounge a few minutes later with two steaming cups of coffee and, handing one to the blonde, sat down next to him, eyes on the television as it played the news. He lifted his right arm and draped it across Draco's shoulders as he put his head on his chest.  
  
They quietly sipped the coffee for a while, not really paying attention to what the news readers were saying. They were started back into reality when a name familiar to them both was mentioned in the local news.  
  
"Mr Longbottom, owner of the largest garden company in Britain, today held his second charity fair in his London based centre. All proceeds are to be donated to an unnamed local hospital. In other news."  
  
"Well," Draco said quietly from somewhere near Harry's stomach.  
  
It hadn't been a surprise to anyone that Neville had gone into what muggles loosely termed 'gardening' as Herbology had always been his best subject, but his moving into the muggle business, as well as magical, had surprised many. It had certainly been a turn up for the books when the business had become more of an empire and he now owned the leading garden centre in the UK as well as being a rather prominent figure in the wizarding world.  
  
Harry was happy for his old school friend, and they spoke on occasion, though less frequently now Neville had a family of his own, but nothing had ever convinced him to speak to Draco, and Harry had never forced the subject as he wanted the friendship - strained though it was these days - to continue.  
  
He thought it was great to hear about him on the muggle news occasionally, as everyone had pegged him for a failure at school.  
  
"I suppose the hospital is St Mungo's." Harry said amiably, finishing off his coffee and handing the mug to Draco to put on the floor.  
  
"Probably. Hardly surprising really."  
  
Draco finished his own mug and placed it next to Harry's on the floor at the base of the sofa, then rolled over slightly, head on Harry's lap and looked up at him, pale eyes reflecting the light from the television as well as the fire, now burning low in the hearth.  
  
* * * *  
  
A few weeks later Harry rolled over and stretched one arm out across the bed, expecting to feel Draco, still sleeping. He opened his eyes when he realised the other side of the bed was empty and cold.  
  
Slightly groggy, he sat up, running one hand through his obscenely long hair, the other reaching over for his glasses.  
  
"Draco?" He tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn.  
  
There was movement off to his left and he looked over, clumsily putting his glasses on with one hand. Draco was standing in the doorway, fully dressed in black robes with silver detailing, the neckline in that old style, buttoned right up under his chin. He looked gorgeous.  
  
"Come on Harry. Get up - we don't want to be late."  
  
Harry blinked, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. The significance of the day eluded him completely. Of course, pretty much anything eluded him at this time of the morning. He raised an eyebrow - a trait he'd picked up from the blonde Slytherine standing in the doorway.  
  
Through another yawn he said, "Late for what?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes and moved into the room, throwing a robe at Harry's head as he did and rifling through the wardrobe. "The train stupid, it's already eight, and I really don't want to be late for our first day at work."  
  
Harry blinked, "oh god. I'd completely forgotten."  
  
They were starting their first day at Hogwarts today; Draco was to be the new Potions Master, Harry the new Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.  
  
He nearly fell out of bed in his haste to get ready, Draco laughing at him as he did so. Luckily they'd packed the night before and all he really had to do was wash and dress. Pulling his hair back into a ponytail he slammed the bathroom door and jumped in the shower.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Now, I've definitely missed this."  
  
The two men were stretched out in one of the carriages near the back of the train, Harry's long legs crossing the gap between the two sets of seats, effectively blocking anyone getting in through the doors.  
  
"Missed what?" Draco lifted one eyebrow with a slight smile.  
  
"This. Just sitting on the train for eight hours. I've missed it."  
  
Draco laughed lightly, turning the page of the book he was reading, The Grey King, part of a set of muggle books Harry had gotten him for his birthday, refusing to comment on the fact that Harry normally hated to travel by muggle means these days.  
  
A while back the new lunch lady had bustled around with a trolley of goodies. Unable to help himself, Harry had bought some of everything, much to Draco's annoyance, and they were now surrounded by wrappers and uneaten food.  
  
"You're too sentimental for your own good sometimes, Potter."  
  
Harry snorted and glanced at his watch. There were maybe two hours left till they reached Hogsmead, and he was beginning to get a little nervous. There were butterflies in his stomach every time he wondered what it would be like to sit up at the head staff table with the other teachers.  
  
They sat in relative silence after that, Harry dozing lightly, Draco enjoying his book, looking forward to seeing how it would end, content as they were until the train began to slow and they heard students running up and down the corridors trying to get ready for the end of the line.  
  
Draco snapped the book closed and tapped Harry on the head with it to wake him. "Looks like we're here."  
  
Green eyes opened and looked at him, "Oh good."  
  
* * * *  
  
Sitting at the staff table was one of the weirdest experiences of his life. In fact, both their lives. Neither of the men were used to seeing the hall from this vantage point. Sitting next to each other, surrounded by the remaining Professors of their own school years as well as one or two new ones, watching as the students filed in, they both felt a little apprehensive.  
  
"Cheer up Mister Potter."  
  
Harry turned, one eyebrow raised at such a formal address, and smiled slightly at the new headmaster, Severus Snape. Dumbledore had quietly passed away in his sleep only a few months before and Professor Snape had been chosen as his successor, much to the surprise of all who didn't know him quite as well as he did.  
  
"Looking forward to the new year, Sir?"  
  
Snape steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them, leaning forward slightly, his eyes scanning the house tables before them. His eyes appeared to linger for a moment on Slytherine before he answered.  
  
"If this new lot are anything like your year was, I'm willing to give up the job now."  
  
Harry coughed back a laugh and Snape favoured him a small smile, one eyebrow arched, before returning to his stoic countenance and sitting back, his white streaked, strangely clean hair, falling over his shoulders.  
  
* * * *  
  
Harry flopped on the large double bed in the room that was part of the suite of rooms that was to be their new home for the foreseeable future. Probably until they retired. It was a sobering thought.  
  
He shook it off and put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about the past few hours. The sorting had been one of the longest he'd ever seen. The new year of students was unusually large and had taken ages to sort into their houses, the hat had sounded slightly weary when it finally shouted out the last name, 'Zafira, Marshal.'  
  
He closed his eyes, smiling to himself as he remembered the slight look of shock on the child's face when the hat had sorted him into Slytherine.  
  
He felt a pressure on the bed beside him and opened his eyes again; Draco was looking down at him, undisguised emotion in his pale eyes.  
  
Draco grinned and pulled the band from Harry's ponytail, "Want to break in the new bed?"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Heh heh ^^; Well - there you go - I may get to continuing this at some point, but not right now, I've got so much else to do! Like packing! Oo;  
  
I'm supposed to be packing right now! I'm moving to university for my second year on Sunday 21st September oo;  
  
Anyway- I hope you enjoyed this ^^;  
  
Hannah 


End file.
